Tokamak Energy, a British company aiming to commercially generate electricity using fusion energy, has signed an agreement with Furukawa Electric Group, a global infrastructure company, where the latter will supply specialist high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape for Tokamak Energy’s prototype fusion device ST80-HTS.

Under this partnership, Furukawa Electric, Japan and SuperPower, USA (a part of the Furukawa Electric Group), will deliver several hundred kilometers of the HTS tape for the next phase of construction of ST80-HTS. Such HTS magnets are required to confine the fuel which reaches temperatures above 100 million degrees Celsius.

Analyst QuickTake: In October 2022 Tokamak Energy announced the plans for the ST80-HTS, which is set to be the world’s first high-field spherical tokamak using high-temperature superconducting magnets. Planned to be completed by 2026, this prototype will demonstrate the multiple advanced technologies required for the delivery of commercial fusion and inform the design of Tokamak’s ST-E1 fusion pilot plant. This plant is expected to demonstrate the capability to produce up to 200 MW of net electrical power and deliver electricity to the grid in the early 2030s.